CATCHIN ON FAST CATTLE CALL CCRIDER see SEE SEE RIDER CHANGE OF HABIT
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
"There's So Many Funny Things About That Meeting"
The above quote was made by Jerry Schilling, Elvis? long time buddy. The meeting he referred to was when Elvis met President Nixon in the Oval Office on December 21, 1970. Schilling made the quote while participating last year in a panel discussion presented by the National Archives Administration. It was titled We Were There When Nixon Met Elvis. Schilling was joined on the panel by Emil (Bud) Krogh, Deputy Counsel to the President and the man who oversaw the War on Drugs.
At the panel discussion with Jerry Schilling and Bud Krogh, they were introduced as two men who had participated with their bosses in this historic event. They are the definitive sources for all the strange events which made this story so compelling. They will certainly be utilized as experts by the producers of the recently announced movie Nixon Meets Elvis.
Jerry Schilling and Bud Krogh
I strongly recommend you click here to see the YouTube video of the National Archives panel discussion. It lasts one hour and fifteen minutes, but it is well worth your time. Here are a few teases of what you will hear.
This is the famous six-page letter Elvis wrote to President Nixon. After flying all night from Los Angeles, Elvis went to the White House before dawn and personally gave it to the Secret Service guards and asked that it be delivered to President Nixon. Schilling tells how it shows Elvis was a proud patriotic American, but Schilling and Krogh have a little chuckle about Elvis? line, ?I have done an in-depth study of drug abuse and Communist Brainwashing techniques.?
Of course, Elvis wouldn?t visit the White House without taking the President a gift. He chose a valuable WWII commemorative gun he had on the wall of his Bel Aire home. It and seven bullets were mounted in a glass display frame.
The panelists had interesting stories about how the Secret Service ultimately waived White House protocol and let Elvis enter with his gun gift. Schilling also told how Elvis had removed his three concealed pistols and left them on the floor on the limo before approaching the White House.
Elvis had a purpose for his visit to Nixon. He wanted to get an official badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Schilling and Krogh talk about this at some length. When the moderator asked Schilling if Elvis? had fond memories of the meeting, he answered that Elvis was most proud that he got that badge.
One thing we learn from the discussion was that this iconic meeting was originally kept secret by agreement of both sides. That was difficult because Elvis had come in contact with many government employees as he was shown parts of the White House and ate at the White House Mess. But, the secrecy worked for thirteen months, until columnist Jack Anderson ferreted out what had happened and broke the news.
Schilling and Krogh told some other interesting stories that did not any illustrating images shown on the big screen. There was Elvis? decision to stop off at a Washington, DC donut shop. Two Superfly types ogled at Elvis? assortment of rings and other jewelry, and said, ?That?s some really nice jewelry.? Elvis pulled out a stub-nosed pistol and said, ?And I aim to keep it.?
During his brief tour of the White House, Elvis was taken to the Situation (War) Room. Elvis was a big fan of the movie Dr. Strangelove, and he could speak all the lines of every character. When he entered the War Room, he blurted out a favorite Peter Sellers line, ?You can?t fight in the War Room.?
Toward the end of the meeting, Elvis asked if Jerry Schilling and Sonny West could come into the Oval Office, too. After they chatted with Nixon a bit, he went behind his desk and opened a drawer. It had a selection of gift items the President gave to visitors. It was so funny to hear Schilling tell Elvis how moved in and searched through everything to pick out proper gifts for him and his buddies ? plus wives & girlfriends.
You probably have heard how Elvis often used the code name Jon Burrows when he travelled. He used that name again on his trip to Washington DC, and on his letter to Nixon. Think about this. How does going under the name of Jon Burrows provide any secrecy when you go through two airports, a hotel lobby, a donut shop and a visit to the White House looking like this?
I?m sure nobody ever figured out he was Elvis.
Again, I urge that you watch ?We Were There When Nixon Met Elvis.?
� 2011 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
ANYTHING THAT S PART OF YOU APRON STRINGS ARE YOU LONESOME TO NIGHT? ARE YOU SINCERE
Do We Really Need Elvis Barbie?
On September 15, Elvis.com/news featured an interview with the designer of the new Elvis Barbie doll. Maybe I missed something, but I never knew it was already on the market. As you can see, Elvis Barbie is wearing an outfit inspired by his famous gold lam� suit. She is touted as wearing a ?pompadour ponytail, and can be yours for only $49.99.
FOOL FOOL FOOL FOOL FOOLS FALL IN LOVE FOOLS RUSH IN WHERE ANGELS FEAR TO TREAD
Eric Bana -- A Good Choice for Elvis & Nixon Movie
On October 24, the Hollywood Reporter broke the news that a movie would be made about Elvis? 1970 meeting with President Richard Nixon at the Whitehouse. Within 24 hours, the story was on dozens of websites and media sources.
My first reaction was ? hey, this had been done before. Somebody already made a movie about the Nixon/Elvis meeting, and I have a copy of it on an old video tape. I dug it out of my collection of Elvis-related movies. There is some strange and funny stuff in there that I need to watch again someday.
Next I did a lot of Google searches about Elvis and Nixon, and before long, I had material for three different ElvisBlog articles. For the first one, let?s start with Eric Bana, the actor chosen to portray Elvis in the new movie.
The obvious question is -- can they make him look like a believable Elvis. The above photo used on the Hollywood Reporter story might make you wonder. Another question might be about what movie credits Eric Bana has on his resume. We can answer both questions by looking at some shots from his movies.
Here he is as Sgt. First Class "Hoot" Gibson in Black Hawk Down from 2002. He sort of has the ?Charro? look with sunglasses. Good, strong facial feature.
In 2003, Eric Bana played Bruce Banner who turned into Hulk after being hit by an experimental ray.
Here he is playing Prince Hector in Troy from 2004. If that is his own hair, they certainly can fix it to look like Elvis. They will also need to work on the nose a bit, too.
In Munich from 2005, Eric Bana played Avner, the Mossad agent on the four-man unit created to wipe out the Olympic terrorists. Too bad Elvis wasn?t bearded when he met Nixon, because Bana looks good that way.
Another role without a heavy beard. Here Bana plays Henry in The Time Traveler?s Wife from 2009. Colored contact lenses could easily change the eye color from brown to blue.
Bana plays evil Captain Nemo in Star Trek, also released in 2009. Of course Eric Bana looks nothing like Elvis here, but it does show the kind of transformation the make-up artists can pull off.
This partial revue of Eric Bana?s films shows he has handled a variety of acting rolls and should do fine portraying Elvis. He is an Australian who has learned to sound like an American, and should have no trouble learning to speak like a good old boy from Mississippi.
The next two photos did not come from any movies. One is a candid shot of Bana walking down the street, and the other is a publicity still.
Finally, we have a publicity photo that should convince anybody that Eric Bana is the man to play Elvis. There?s an old joke about rating someone as minus zero on the Elvis Scale. If the scale is 1 to 10, I think Eric Bana gets about a 9.
� 2011 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
It Happened At The World s Fair Fun In Acapulco Kissin Cousins Viva Las Vegas
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
July 2011 Elvis Auctions -- Part 2
Mid-September seems like an odd time to post a blog about an auction of Elvis items that took place back in July, but there have been reasons for the delay. Nothing big related to Elvis was in the news this week, so let?s look at some interesting Elvis things that changed hands at the auction.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer?
Did Elvis die because of a book?� According to this interesting story, a book may very well have helped to kill Elvis Presley.� You all know the book I am talking about.� Elvis: What Happened was published just 2 weeks … Continue reading
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer? is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer?
Did Elvis die because of a book?� According to this interesting story, a book may very well have helped to kill Elvis Presley.� You all know the book I am talking about.� Elvis: What Happened was published just 2 weeks … Continue reading
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer? is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
Live A Little Love A Little Charro The Trouble With Girls Change Of Habit
Unusual Christmas Gifts at Find-me-a-gift
Find-me-a-gift asked: At Find-Me-A-Gift, we pride ourselves on having the most incredible range of Unusual Christmas Gifts known to man! Whether you?re looking for an Unusual Christmas Gift for your mum, an Unusual Christmas Gift for your brother, an Unusual Christmas Gift for your friend or an Unusual Christmas Gift for a girlfriend, Find-Me-A-Gift can [...]
FORT LAUDERDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNTAIN OF LOVE FRANKFORT SPECIAL FRANKIE AND JOHNNY
Friday, November 25, 2011
"Elvis and Us" -- The King is now in a Beatles Museum
This past Wednesday, October 5, a new Elvis exhibit opened in England. It is titled ?Elvis and Us,? and is stocked with a wonderful selection of items loaned by EPE. Some of the rare artifacts have never even been displayed at Graceland.
AMEN AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL AN AMERICAN TRILOGY AN EVENING PRAYER
July 2011 Elvis Auctions -- Part 2
Mid-September seems like an odd time to post a blog about an auction of Elvis items that took place back in July, but there have been reasons for the delay. Nothing big related to Elvis was in the news this week, so let?s look at some interesting Elvis things that changed hands at the auction.
Change Of Habit Elvis That s the Way It Is Elvis On Tour The Rainmaker
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Do We Really Need Elvis Barbie?
On September 15, Elvis.com/news featured an interview with the designer of the new Elvis Barbie doll. Maybe I missed something, but I never knew it was already on the market. As you can see, Elvis Barbie is wearing an outfit inspired by his famous gold lam� suit. She is touted as wearing a ?pompadour ponytail, and can be yours for only $49.99.
EARTH ANGEL EARTH BOY EASY COME EASY GO SUCH AN EASY QUESTION
Sunday, November 20, 2011
What?s in a Name? Tips on Avoiding Probate
Robin S. Davis, CFP� asked: Most of us remember when Elvis Presley, “The King:, died in 1977. At that time his estate was worth an estimated 10 million dollars. Unfortunately, due to probate fees, legal fees, and estate taxes the amount was reduced to a paltry $3 minnion. This could have been avoided with the [...]
Return to Sender? How to Avoid the Christmas Post Blues
John Smith asked: Christmas ? a time for giving, receiving, and for that warm glow of goodwill generated by knowing that there is something bigger out there than ourselves ? the spirit of Christmas. However, it is often the case that the giving and receiving of Christmas gifts gets scuppered.Established in 1660 ? and with [...]
ANY DAY NOW ANYWAY YOU WANT ME THAT S HOW I WILL BE ANYONE COULD FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU ANYPLACE IS PARADISE
"Elvis and Us" -- The King is now in a Beatles Museum
This past Wednesday, October 5, a new Elvis exhibit opened in England. It is titled ?Elvis and Us,? and is stocked with a wonderful selection of items loaned by EPE. Some of the rare artifacts have never even been displayed at Graceland.
Change Of Habit Elvis That s the Way It Is Elvis On Tour The Rainmaker
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
History Of Rock Music
Rajeev Rampersad asked: Rock music, where did it all begin? Believe it or not a black man who played black music, originally founded rock music in the mid 50s, this man was Chuck Berry. Rock became popular almost over night, and was accepted with open arms by the younger generations. This was largely due to [...]
BABY WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO BAREFOOT BALLAD BEACH BOY BLUES BEACH SHACK
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer?
Did Elvis die because of a book?� According to this interesting story, a book may very well have helped to kill Elvis Presley.� You all know the book I am talking about.� Elvis: What Happened was published just 2 weeks … Continue reading
Can a Book Be Considered a Killer? is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
AND THE GRASS WON T PAY NO MIND ANGEL ANIMAL INSTINCT ANY DAY NOW
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Elvis Presley and His Music From the Heart
Gen Wright asked: When Elvis began putting together his collection of music for his comeback, he was able to reflect on many years of a great range of popular American music, including his own and that of other people.Elvis was blessed with a natural talent to sing just about anything, but he also needed to [...]
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Eric Bana -- A Good Choice for Elvis & Nixon Movie
On October 24, the Hollywood Reporter broke the news that a movie would be made about Elvis? 1970 meeting with President Richard Nixon at the Whitehouse. Within 24 hours, the story was on dozens of websites and media sources.
My first reaction was ? hey, this had been done before. Somebody already made a movie about the Nixon/Elvis meeting, and I have a copy of it on an old video tape. I dug it out of my collection of Elvis-related movies. There is some strange and funny stuff in there that I need to watch again someday.
Next I did a lot of Google searches about Elvis and Nixon, and before long, I had material for three different ElvisBlog articles. For the first one, let?s start with Eric Bana, the actor chosen to portray Elvis in the new movie.
The obvious question is -- can they make him look like a believable Elvis. The above photo used on the Hollywood Reporter story might make you wonder. Another question might be about what movie credits Eric Bana has on his resume. We can answer both questions by looking at some shots from his movies.
Here he is as Sgt. First Class "Hoot" Gibson in Black Hawk Down from 2002. He sort of has the ?Charro? look with sunglasses. Good, strong facial feature.
In 2003, Eric Bana played Bruce Banner who turned into Hulk after being hit by an experimental ray.
Here he is playing Prince Hector in Troy from 2004. If that is his own hair, they certainly can fix it to look like Elvis. They will also need to work on the nose a bit, too.
In Munich from 2005, Eric Bana played Avner, the Mossad agent on the four-man unit created to wipe out the Olympic terrorists. Too bad Elvis wasn?t bearded when he met Nixon, because Bana looks good that way.
Another role without a heavy beard. Here Bana plays Henry in The Time Traveler?s Wife from 2009. Colored contact lenses could easily change the eye color from brown to blue.
Bana plays evil Captain Nemo in Star Trek, also released in 2009. Of course Eric Bana looks nothing like Elvis here, but it does show the kind of transformation the make-up artists can pull off.
This partial revue of Eric Bana?s films shows he has handled a variety of acting rolls and should do fine portraying Elvis. He is an Australian who has learned to sound like an American, and should have no trouble learning to speak like a good old boy from Mississippi.
The next two photos did not come from any movies. One is a candid shot of Bana walking down the street, and the other is a publicity still.
Finally, we have a publicity photo that should convince anybody that Eric Bana is the man to play Elvis. There?s an old joke about rating someone as minus zero on the Elvis Scale. If the scale is 1 to 10, I think Eric Bana gets about a 9.
� 2011 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
NOW AND THEN THERE S A FOOL SUCH AS I A HOUSE THAT HAS EVERYTHING A HUNDRED YEARS FROM NOW A LITTLE BIT OF GREEN
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Backstage With Elvis
Theresea Hughes asked: Elvis often enjoyed causal meetings with celebrities like Marty Allen, Tom Jones, Bobby Darin, Jack Lord, Buddy Hacket, and Jean Rivers.In the early days Elvis also enjoyed the company of Sammy Davis Jr. and in later years enjoyed the company of Sammy Davis Jr. and his wife.At one of Elvis’s movie nights [...]
Elvis That s the Way It Is Elvis On Tour The Rainmaker A BIG HUNK O LOVE
Elvis?This Day in History
July 26, 1954 Elvis signed a formal contract with Sun Records, which had to be countersigned once again by his parents. Elvis–This Day in History is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
Elvis–This Day in History is a post from: The Elvis Presley Blog
ALL THAT I AM ALLA EN EL RANCHO GRANDE ALMOST ALMOST ALWAYS TRUE
Friday, November 11, 2011
The Evolution of Elvis Tribute Continues
Reference books state that Elvis gave performances in 79 cities in 1956. How many cities do you think hosted Elvis Tribute Artists in 2011? My guess is that it could be ten times that number. ETA shows aren?t limited to just large cities. They have come to three small suburban cities in my area, and you probably have seen the same where you live. These were one-night gigs, and one tribute artist did the whole show.
In 2008, a two-part ElvisBlog article noted a change in the nature of some Elvis tribute concerts. It covered a package show called The Elvis Birthday Tour with three top Elvis Tribute Artists performing back-to-back-to-back. One did the 50s Elvis songs, another wore a black leather suit and sang hits of that era, and finally a jumpsuited ETA did the songs from Elvis? Vegas days.
Donnie Edwards Ryan Pelton Shaun Klush
The show moved around to eight Midwest cities where expensive tickets in large venues moved Elvis tribute into the realm of big-time entertainment. These multi-artist shows have continued in the years since, and similar tours have performed in other areas of the country.
Now, one very talented performer has done something I never thought possible. He repeated his act for 18 shows in a city of just 62,000. The venue was the Greenville Little Theatre in Greenville, SC.
This doesn?t look like a performaning arts center you?d find in a city of just 62,000 people, but Greenville is the hub of an area with 400,000 people. The Little Theater presents a schedule of extended runs like Barefoot in the Park, The Music Man, and A Christmas Carol. So, I was incredulous when I saw their newspaper ad for ELVIS: Shake, Rattle, & Roll, running from September 15 to October 2.
The star of the show was Scot Bruce. Although I have seen or read about dozens of Elvis Tribute Artists, I was not familiar with Scot Bruce. Certainly the theater-going public in our area didn?t know him either, so how could he continue to put people in $30 seats for 18 performances? Part of the answer was the Little Theatre subscriber base of 3,000, but a capacity of 600 seats time 18 shows equals 10,800. Scot Bruce had to deliver, if this was going to be a successful run.
It turned out that savvy marketing, a great review in the paper, and tremendous word-of-mouth recommendations made this a very profitable show for the theatre. The Friday and Saturday night shows nearly packed the house, and week-nights had � of the seats filled.
The reason the reviews and word-of-mouth were so good was because of the considerable talents of Scot Bruce and his band. So, who is this guy who did such a great job? Based in Los Angeles, Scot has a varied background that led to his Shake, Rattle and Roll show. Over the years he has been a radio personality, singer, drummer, songwriter, and actor. During his early years in L.A., Scot experienced his share of hard times, so he started doing a 1950s era Elvis show to supplement his income. What was meant as a part-time gig has grown into a full time career.
Scot?s live shows have taken him across the U.S. and many parts of the world. He and his four-piece band regularly perform at Disneyland, and he tours with the Legends of Rock and Roll ? Buddy, Roy & Elvis. However, it was his performance in another touring show, Idols of the King, that gave him the chance to reach new levels in Elvis tribute. Idols of The King is a two-part play, half music and half vignettes about two Elvis fans who would do anything to see Elvis perform in Las Vegas.
Scot Bruce has starred Elvis in the show?s extended runs in many performing arts centers around the country, including the legendary Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, former home of the Grand Ole Opry, and the Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery. However, it was at the Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA where Scot made such an impression on the theater?s administrators that they worked with him to book his own show for an long run. The theater-goers had loved him so much in Idols of the King that they came back to catch him again in ELVIS: Shake, Rattle & Roll in 2010. Then, Scot brought his show there again in 2011, and it had 23 sell-out shows.
As fate would have it, the Artistic Director of the Greenville Little Theater was visiting his son in Abingdon, VA and took in a performance of the show. He was so favorably impressed that he booked Scot for 18 shows in my city this fall. When I saw it, I was so favorably impressed I had to write this blog article.
Scot took a risk when he planned his new show. He decided to skip the all-too-common jumpsuit Elvis, because ?when I wore a jumpsuit I looked more like Evil Knievel.? Instead, Scot specializes in Elvis? music from the 50s and early 60s. He performs 28 songs, split into two segments. First, he does a delightful set of Elvis? early hits. I especially liked when he was joined at center stage by just the guitarist and bass player, and they did a tribute to Elvis? songs from Sun Records.
After the break, Scot came back on stage in a '68 Comeback Special black leather outfit. He performed a mixed bag of Elvis tunes from the early sixties, three gospel songs, and two late 60s hits: ?Burning Love? and ?Suspicious Minds.? It was strange but rewarding to see someone not wearing a jumpsuit do ?Suspicious Minds? without those blaring trumpets.
The program ended with what has become the de facto Elvis tribute show finale: ?American Trilogy,? complete with the US flag unfurling in the background. I?ve seen this before several times at other performers? shows, but I still get choked up every time.
The other element of Scot Bruce?s successful show is that he has been a lifelong Elvis fan, and it shows. I loved his banter between songs. It contained humor, trivia and a lot of respect and admiration for the King.
I don?t guess there are too many theater artistic directors who read ElvisBlog, but I hope one of you readers might know one. Send him a link to this article, and maybe he can envision Scot Bruce in ELVIS: Shake, Rattle, & Roll succeeding in your home town. If that should happen, be sure to go. You will have a blast.
Scot Bruce in ELVIS: Shake, Rattle, & Roll www.scotbruce.com
� 2011 Philip R Arnold, Original Elvis Blogmeister All Rights Reserved www.ElvisBlog.net
Elvis, Elvis Presley, and Graceland are registered trademarks of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.
YOU RE SO SQUARE BABY I DON T CARE BABY IF YOU LL GIVE ME ALL OF YOUR LOVE BABY LET S PLAY HOUSE BABY WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO
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